Ski fastening



Patented Dec. 23, 1947 Paul Schwarze, Saint Gallen, SwitzerlandApplication February 6, 1941, Serial No. 377,691

In Germany August 9, 1939 Y 4 Claims. (Cl. 289-1135) The attachment ofthe boot to the ski is gen- I erally eiected by a strap passed andtightened around the heel whereby the front part of the boot is forcedbetween jaws. For the good control of the ski in downhill running it isimportant that the back part of the boot is firmly pressed to the ski.Previous constructions, however, have the disadvantage that when theback part is swung upwards the tension is continuously increased andwith it the force opposed to a. further upward swing. As the tension isalready very strong in the original position, swinging upwards over acomparatively small angle is practically impossible, If the skier usingsuch a binding should have fa fall he runs the risk of considerableinjuries, as he cannot liberate himself from the binding. l

The present invention is an improvement over and above the priorpropositions and consists in means which draw the rear part of the boottowards the ski in such ya way that the force acting against the upwardmovement of the boot heel does not continuously increase. Apreferredembodiment consists in a spring which is mounted or formed insuch a way that its parts come into springy action successively when theboot heel is raised.

In the accompanying drawing several embodiments of the invention areillustrated by way of example. Fig. l'is a side elevation of the centrepart'of the ski with the boot and a spring acting on the latter. Figs. 2and 3 are side elevations of other embodiments. Figs. 4, and 6 aredetails of the iittings of Fig. 3. In Fig. 1 the ski is indicated by I,its forward part being on the left of the drawing, 2 is the boot withits front part secured between the jaws 9. The heel of the boot iscoupled to the spring 4 by the tting 3, The plate-shaped spring lies onthe ski and is capable of sliding along it. It is held by the bridge 5the upper part of which is conveniently formed as a roller. The back end6 of the spring may be bent upwards in order to nd a check vat thebridge 5 when sliding forwards. 'I is a stop on the ski to prevent thespring from sliding backward more than is necessary.

The spring offers resistance to the upward movement of the boot heel andthis resistance can be adjusted by altering the distance between thebridge 5 and the boot. During the upward movement of the heel theiitting 3 which is fastened to the boot and coupled to the spring takesthe latter with it so that the springy part in front of the bridge isextended. While, therefore, the upward movement causes an increascausingthe tension is ing spring tension, this increase is counterbalanced bythe fact that the 'part of the spring lengthened. The equipment can beso arranged that when the rear end 6 of the spring strikes the.. bridge5, or whenthe heel of the boot has reached a certain heightthe coupling.between the fitting 3 .and the spring 4 is automatically disconnectedso thatthe skier'is free if he falls.

In` Fig. 2 the springconsists of several plates which can be so arrangedthat when sliding forwards the plates are freed one after the otherfromA the bridge 5 so that finally only one plate is held by it. Thespring'm-ay remain flat at the rear end so' that whenlthe skier falls itcan slip out'of the bridge and be taken along with the boot. The bridge5 is adjustable in such a way that the effective spring length or itstension can be altered. This is done in the embodiment shown in Fig. 2by` supplying the bridge with a set-screw by which the distance of thespring from the ski caribe changed.

Fig, 3 shows .another advantageous embodiment consisting in a specialshaping of the spring.A It is formed` of three parts of which the twoparts II and I2 lbehind the .heel are directed upwardsand downwardswhereas the third part I3 is arranged at an angle to the first twoparts. The three parts are riveted together or so connected that theycan easily be disconnected for better transport and re-assembled. Anupward movement of the heel is first resisted by the great strength ofthe part I3 which can be reinforced by additional spring plates. Themore, however, the heel is swung upwards the more do the parts II and I2get into action by their displacement, so that the increasing tension iscounterbalanced by the enlargement of the effective spring parts.According to Fig. 3 the adjustment of the spring is effected by a camlever 8 with which for downhill running the spring can be so pressed tothe ski that a considerable tension is already eiected when the heel ofthe boot is still on the ski. In the embodiment shown in Fig. 3 thefitting 3 snaps automatically into a recess of the spring part I I whenthe heel is depressed. As shown in Fig. 4 the iitting 3 is a small plateattached to the boot and has a nose I4 projecting towards the spring.The lower part of the spring Il in this figure is in longitudinalsection, also in Fig. 5 which shows the same arrangement as Fig. 4, butwith the boot heel in a raised position, From the latter and the shapeof the recess I5, which is shown in the front elevation of the lowerpart of the spring II in Fig. 6 it will be seen in what 3 way the end ofthe spring Il can slip oil? the nose I4 when the boot heel has reached acertain height.

The front part of the boot can be introduced between the customary jawswhich are tted with a leather strap. But it is of considerable advantageto employ a coupling according to my U. S. Patent er1-1925 87,0,s-asffin this @ease @the ridi-stance between the..;ijaws'andthespringican be' properly fixed in accordance with the size of the bootand the whole binding can thus be securely adjusted. By the combinationof the present inventionvwith such a coupling of the front part oftheboot to the jaws a hitherto unattainedtcontrolioftheski is ensuredand at the Sametime the `safe .release of both the rear andfrontdpartfif thefbootfat the otherwise dangerous forward fall. In a11embodiments it is of course possible thatfin-the-beginning of orduringtgthe upward movement of `thebootheel the counteractingiorcelisincreased xifm-a small distance. L Thisdoesnotinuence the ,scope,of the.; presentinven'ticnsj hich. is not. con- ;nned to,krthesspecies; shovslnjandidescribedbut comtothe upward l,movementof'the; heelftovr continuou'sly increase.

"Ieiaim:

i 1. Skil fasteningcomprisingiawsfonitheiski' for thefront "para f'jithe'boomta Springaactme on the 'rear part efttneipott;imsuch 'azwaiytnatzwhen'theiheeigcf fthe.boot;.istmovedgiupwafds' its `parts -fom'e intoSprings' Jgacitlbn 1 011e Llfter f' the .'rbther: Hwhereby .aicontimiousincreasecf 'its re- ;sisting fpre isgpreventeugaridga iitting .onisadLjbootheelk adapted; to. lbecomeautomatica11yjeeugif ledj tosaid,spring. 4wh,enmsaidheel' isg'depressed ,.2. vSki fastening iLt;oniprising ,l jaws .on the 'ski gfpr, thefronupa'rtgpfgthefboot:gajspring'acting en theJreanpaItof,the1 bootrin;sucIragwaythatwhen the" heei of' the bootismoye upwardsyits ...Parts .come .11330,eprinsy tactiqn Cessirely; means .t0 adiust'saidpriingrandfmxeansfattached "pto 'theyrean part:}of;1the bootfor coupling' itjto-said spring when the heel is termined angle.

3. Ski fastening comprising means on the ski adapted to engage the frontpart of the boot; a spring on the ski acting on the rear part of theboot in the sense of drawing it towards the ski, said spring beingformed of two parts which fgextend 11p-rand downwardssandea third partawhich israrranged ai..anf1ang1e1,toifthe rst two parts said upanddownwards extending parts ebeing adapted in such a way that during thefirst period of the upward movement of the boot lheel they act asunbending members and subse- .gquentiyipcomeainto springy action bytheir displacement, thereby counteraoting the otherwisecontinuous-increase of the tension.

L4."Ski*fastening comprising means on the ski forggengaging the frontpart of the boot; a spring adapted to be attachedr to the ski and to therear parttofthetboot, said :spring forcing the, boot to `Qthefskiinsuche, waythat whenmthe .heel of the lboot 'isf swung lupizvardsijthe,counteracting force oisaidgspring does not continuously increase; a .1,bridges. (mythe ski, for; holding? said L spring; and a .cam-lever.' atsaid'. bridgej for, adjusting the tenv sion f said spring.

raised over a prede- "'PAUL'LSCHWARZE.

JREFERENCESCITED A .-The'oliowingreferences are of.- record vin the.giefofthis; patent:

' UNITED STATES'QEA'IVENTS 'Number -Name y Date g"r2,1f92,870 Schwarze-.Y ..Mar.}5, 1940 FOREIGN PATENTS ,Number VCountry Date 6,651 'f NorwayMan 23, 1898 '113576 Norway 1 1 Sept. 16, 1902 186,585 Switzerland K"Dec. 1, '.1936 f801g546 gFranee,-,- 1 Aug 6, 1936 "`52,8;63 :Germany-aufn-July 4,11931 1643,702 j'Germany,...v- Aug. 6,1937 5,271,046Germany v lMar. 'i 3,- 1914 v61,530 Austria 'Oct.10, 1913

